Misinformation in your mailbox: Election officials warn about incorrect mailers

State and local elections officials are sounding the alarm about two mailers from political groups that include incorrect voting information.

The state board of elections sent out an advisory about a mailer sent out statewide from the Voter Education Network, a pollical action committee.

The mailer claims to show your voting record, but the information shown is incorrect in many cases. It also includes the phone number for the state elections board, urging voters to call the state if their voting history appears to be incorrect.

"That is certainly what voters are doing," state elections director Karen Brinson Bell told WRAL News.

Brinson Bell says she’s glad voters are reaching out to a trusted source, but it’s been generating a lot of calls at a very busy time.

"They really started pouring in yesterday, which was the start of early voting. And that's a busy day no matter what," Brinson Bell said, "Early voting is our most popular method of voting in North Carolina, and people are trying to understand what the dates and the hours and so forth are. On top of it, yesterday, or throughout the week, the voters have been getting this mailer that has inaccurate information."

The Voter Education Network was registered this month by Jason Falls, a former Cleveland County Commission chairman. He's a cousin of state House Speaker Tim Moore.

It’s unclear who’s funding the group. Falls responded to a request for comment by emailing a statement on behalf of the group.

The statement said that the group made “every effort to ensure that the data it received from its national list vendor—whose data originates from the North Carolina State Board of Elections’ voter file—is accurate.

"These efforts include hand checking random records on the mailing list against the records in the North Carolina State Board of Election online voter database on multiple occasions, including after the State Board contacted the organization expressing concerns yesterday,” the group said, apologizing for inconveniences the mailers may have caused voters or state elections board workers.

Moore, R-Cleveland, knew nothing about the group, according to his spokeswoman. “The Speaker is not involved in the organization in any way,” spokeswoman Demi Dowdy told WRAL.

Old info

In Wayne County, a different mailer tells voters where and when they can vote early. But that information is incorrect. It’s actually from 2020. The early voting sites and times are different this year.

This mailer, a sample ballot labeled the "Conservative Voter Guide," is from the state Republican party. NCGOP spokesman Jeff Moore said the error was unintentional.

“The inaccurate dates on the mailer were an unfortunate typographical error (they are dates from a previous cycle)," Jeff Moore said in a statement to WRAL. "The error has been corrected, and accurately dated mailers are being sent out." .

He added that mailers sent out to other counties don’t appear to have the same problem.

Brinson Bell said the best way voters can protect themselves from voting misinformation is to double-check the facts at the state elections board website.

"No matter the source, if it does not come from the county board of elections or from the state board of elections, we ask that people check out the information on NCSBE.gov," she said, adding that the "voter search" tool allows voters to confirm early and election-day voting locations and times, check their voter history, and get their sample ballot.

If you've received a mailer that you think is incorrect or suspicious, let WRAL News know. You can send us a message about it here.